Cresskill High School has a problem . . . a problem with pedals and a handlebar. Today, it seems like everyone, including middle school students, high school students, and even some teachers, owns an e-bike. 1.7 million electronic bicycles were sold in 2024 alone. But who cares? Why does this matter?

For many students here, e-bikes are the perfect alternative to walking to school that is faster, easier, and more effective than traditional bikes or walking. This is especially helpful for teens whose parents are too busy to drop them off at school everyday and aren’t old enough to drive themselves.

This is definitely the case for Jaeden Choi, a sophomore at Cresskill High School who got his first e-bike at 10 years old. When asked, Jaeden explained, “I wanted a normal bike originally but my father wanted me to have something different so he got me an e-bike . . . getting places is way faster than with a normal bike.” He rides his e-bike once or twice a week and uses it to get to places quickly.

However, issues regarding e-bikes have recently been brought to light with a painstaking incident during a Cresskill Marching Band practice session. On October 13th, 2025, two students’ beloved instruments were damaged by the reckless wrath of these e-bikers. Jay Choi, one of the victims of this tragedy, emotionally recounts, “I was drinking water with my friends when suddenly, I saw a bike running over someone’s instrument. I realized it was mine and I ran over and found that it was not okay at all. I couldn’t play any high notes on my clarinet.” The damage to his beloved clarinet was nearly irreparable. Luckily, he has been able to continue his musical career with a different instrument, however, he will forever remember the clarinet he lost to this horrible accident.

On top of incidents like these, as more people use e-bikes, injuries related to them are becoming increasingly common. Recently, it seems like everyone knows someone, or knows someone who knows someone, who got injured while riding their bike. From scratched knees to concussions, the dangers of e-bikes are evident everywhere you look.

Sophomore Hannah Barrs lives on the side of a hill in Cresskill and says that, on a daily basis, she watches kids on e-bikes flying down the hill, more often than not ending up sprawled across the side of the road. “[They use] absolutely no safety precautions, most of them aren’t wearing helmets and the ones who do keep the chin-strap unbuckled,” Hannah explained.

While this issue was still prevalent before e-bikes, in the past kids had to walk their bikes up the hill, putting in a good amount of work and effort, but now they just speed up the hill without any struggle. Nowadays if you see a large blur fly past your window, you can assume that it’s an electronic bike.

And the more increasingly popular this technology gets, the more risky it is for e-bikers and those around them, like pedestrians, drivers, and even bystanders. Due to the high speeds of these vehicles, injuries often are more serious than with an average bike, some even being fatal. In the last couple years, there has been a nearly 200% increase in deadly accidents related to e-bikes. Most of these accidents involve a teenager getting hit by a car while on their e-bike because they didn’t follow proper safety precautions or went dangerously fast.

Officials state that e-bikes “might as well be motorcycles” when comparing the two vehicles, even though one of them requires a license and the other is obtainable by any teen. The e-bikes have a throttle, regularly used in vehicles in engines to increase or decrease speed, presenting new issues of how riding them brings similar dangers to riding a regular car or a motorcycle. The issue is that anyone can get their hands on an e-bike without the proper training and begin riding right away. Thus, teenagers must be careful with their speed and be aware of their surroundings at all times.

Jaeden learned this lesson the hard way, during our interview he described the harrowing moment when he narrowly avoided getting hit by a car. A parked vehicle nearby blocked his view of the approaching car and, believing he was safe, he rode out into the street on his bike. Fortunately, the car was able to stop only inches away from Jaeden and his e-bike, but that moment served to remind him of the danger he faces anytime he rides his bike.

Learning how to use a non-electric bike first is crucial before riding an e-bike to mitigate this risk. Additionally, using safety tools like helmets and exercising caution while riding can drastically reduce the chance of a fatal accident.

This issue has even been noticed by lawmakers, who have set laws in motion to regulate e-bikes and their accessibility to teenagers. E-bikes can now be separated into categories, classes one, two, and three, that each have different characteristics and coinciding laws. These can do everything from limiting speed to requiring license and registration for certain bikes.

Our school officials are following the example of these politicians. New changes have been implemented on school grounds regarding e-bikes. The prohibition of these bikes on athletic grounds are now the new standard to avoid collision with school activities and to keep surrounding peers safe. However, the dangers outside of school is something that the Board cannot reach, and is something that only the rider can control for themselves. 

So remember, always wear a helmet, stay alert, and make sure to go at an appropriate speed when you’re riding your e-bike!